The Rundown: Kyrgios shaping as star attraction of Netflix tennis documentary series

Nick Kyrgios’ wild antics and crazy talent will make him the star attraction of a new Drive To Survive style tennis documentary.

Nick Kyrgios is shaping up as a cash register for a streaming giant thanks to his explosive and drama-filled tennis antics.

The show on legs that is Kyrgios has untold value for Netflix, and tennis in general, with the gifted but unpredictable Australian one of the players being followed as part of a new documentary series for the streamer.

His profile and bankability – already huge – will undoubtedly skyrocket once the series airs, presumably next year, as he is sure to have a major chunk of airtime.

Whatever you think of him, Kyrgios is the entertainment machine of world tennis who people will want to watch on the series.

Nick Kyrgios was followed by the Netflix cameras during his Wimbledon campaign. Picture: AFP

With his streetwear inspired garb, on court meltdowns, off court dramas, his glamorous girlfriends, snappy one liners, love of nightclubs, his highly unconventional approach to training and his extraordinary natural tennis athleticism and ability, Kyrgios is box office gold for a sport that likes to be unfailingly polite.

In a time where social media has encouraged a generation to throw away any respect for privacy and to share every hiccup in their lives with their online followers to prove they are authentic and vulnerable, Kyrgios’s unfiltered behaviour is completely on trend and highly appealing to that elusive younger audience that every sport and business so dearly desires to connect with.

So Netflix must be beside themselves with glee after Kyrgios’s ‘can’t look away’ performance at Wimbledon.

Kyrgios (red cap) out on the town after his finals loss.

Kyrgios and girlfriend Costeen Hatzi.

Netflix is giving tennis the Drive To Survive treatment and is following a year in the life of some of the world’s best players as they travel the tournament circuit.

There will be a huge Aussie element to this, as yet unnamed series, with the chaos surrounding Novak Djokovic getting thrown out of Australia in January, Ash Barty winning the Australian Open and then stunning the sporting world by announcing her retirement, Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis making tennis doubles rate with TV viewers thanks to their antics when winning the Australian Open title and, of course, Kyrgios’s wild ride to the men’s final of Wimbledon.

The same production company, Box to Box, that produces Drive To Survive, is behind the tennis documentary series, which started filming at the Australian Open.

Drive to Survive, which is brilliant and so bingeable, is credited with bringing a new younger audience to Formula 1.

Rising stars of TV

I’ve said it before and I will say it again, how long before a commercial network throws a wad of cash at Tony Armstrong and lures him away from the ABC?

Armstrong, the Best New Talent winner at this year’s Logie Awards, can do no wrong at the moment.

When things go off script on live TV he just rolls with it – not everyone has that skill – as shown this week when a weather update cross didn’t go as planned.

The ABC’s Joe O’Brien threw to Nate Byrne for the weather report, but Byrne wasn’t there. Instead Armstrong, realising the glitch, jumped in for an impromptu weather update to fill the dead air.

He and Abbie Chatfield are the two fastest rising stars in Australian TV circles at the moment.

Networks should be scrambling for Tony Armstrong.

Finish line for Ninja

Ninja Warrior Australia wrapped its sixth season on Monday night with the Grand Final episode pulling 560,000 overnight metro viewers.

Will that be enough for Channel 9 to give the show another season?

Interestingly, there was no call to action asking for applications for a 2023 series of the show at the end of last night’s episode.

Victorian Ninja Zak Stolz, 23 was crowned the winner of the series going the furthest in the fastest time on the extreme obstacle course.

Sporting WAGs Kyly Clarke and Tayla Damir on the Ninja Warrior course.

Not dead, just resting

TV funnyman Shaun Micallef has denied his hit series Mad As Hell has been axed, but confirmed after an 11 year run the show won’t return in 2023 at his request.

“I’m turning 60 in a week for f--k’s sake,” Micallef tweeted on Sunday while explaining to fans what was going on with the future of the sharp and witty comedy ABC comedy series.

“Okay, it is true we’ll not be returning next year, BUT this is entirely down to me, okay?,” he tweeted.

“After 11 years and 15 seasons, I just felt it was time for someone younger to take advantage of the resources and opportunities on offer.

“I’m turning 60 in a week for f--k’s sake.

re: #MadAsHell
The show HASN'T been axed. In fact, we have a NEW SEASON starting on Wednesday July 20. The only change is the time slot (8:40 - Bloody Gruen).
Best wishes,
Shaun Micallef
xxxxx

— Shaun Micallef (@shaunmicallef) July 10, 2022

“And by the way, the ABC and I are continuing to talk about evolving the show with someone else in the chair or maybe making different shows using our very talented cast and crew.

“Or maybe I’ll come back after a few years like (Danish actress) Sidse Babett Knudsen did in Borgen. You never know …”

Micallef also clarified that he had not left the ABC for Channel 10, where he is hosting Shaun Micallef’s Brain Eisteddfod.

“Also, I haven’t jumped ship to a commercial network. I enjoy a great working relationship with the ABC and have done for many years. Sometimes I make shows for other stations, that’s all. The ABC is cool with this,” he posted.

The new season of Mad As Hell starts on the ABC on Wednesday, July 20.

“The only change is the time slot (8:40 – Bloody Gruen),” Micallef wrote.

Hitting up more reality shows

Australian tennis great Pat Cash has not ruled out doing more reality TV.

Cash was a surprise contestant in the UK version of The Masked Singer earlier this year.

“Reality TV was absolutely not my thing, but I love my music, I play my guitar and get up and sing the odd song for charity (and) everything just fell into place,” he said of his masked adventure.

“This was the one show that I thought, ‘yeah, that would be pretty cool.’ You hide behind the mask, it is a whole lot of fun and I really enjoyed it.

“My sister is an opera singer, she has the voice of the family, there is no doubt about that. I don’t know when the next escapade into that territory or TV will be, if at all, but that fell into place.”

Cash has recently been announced as the new ambassador for Advanced Hair.

The Australian version of The Masked Singer is filming in Sydney at the moment with Channel 10 promising big names and surprise stars inside the costumes this season.

“You will not believe who we have behind the masks this year,” an insider trilled.